ATLANTA — When severe weather hits metro Atlanta, the more tools available to keep people safe, the better. That's why Channel 2 Action News has partnered with Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. to deliver life saving weather alerts to Georgians on the go.
The iMap Weather Radio application sends critical voice and text alerts to iPhone, iTouch and iPad users when severe weather threatens local neighborhoods.
“When severe storms hit north Georgia the more tools you have to keep you safe the better,” said Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns. “The app will send you an alert when watches and warnings are issued.”
The iMap Weather Radio uses a phone's GPS to send alerts only to the area where the person is. The app also follows a person anywhere, including the golf course, camping or even when in the car.
Download:
- Go to the Apple or Android store
- Search "iMap Weather Radio"
- Download the app and open
- Select WSB-TV from the options to watch Severe Weather Team 2 live on the app.
“We’ve stayed close with WDT during the progress of this smart phone App for over a year now,” said Bill Hoffman, vice president and general manager for Channel 2 WSB-TV. “We’re excited to add this to our long-running severe weather radio project. This essentially puts weather radios in your pocket, so you know what is going on no matter where you are. Channel 2 continues to invest in the latest weather technologies to serve our viewers on every platform, all to stand behind our commitment to keep them safe.”
"What we did is we took the power of the weather radio and combined it with the precision and portability of a smart phone," said app inventor Mark Taylor.
"We actually engineered up to five additional locations so if you've got elderly parents, children in college or children at camp and you want to keep tabs on them, it will actually alert you if there's something going on in their location," Taylor said.
The iMap Weather Radio allows the user to decide the type of alerts they want to get. If someone only wants tornado warnings, it can be programmed that way.
The tornado warning function already saved lives in Alabama during April's deadly tornadoes when the power and weather radios were out.
"(In) one of the towns that was completely devastated, someone actually reported that they got an alert about 15 minutes ahead of time," said Taylor.
The app also has a television function that in the future will connect to what's being broadcast on WSB-TV. Users also can check live radar images and traffic. Taylor said he's working on making the app available for other phones in the near future.
If you would like to get the App, go to the iTunes App store or Android app store and search “iMapWeather Radio”. The app sells for a price of $9.99.
Channel 2 Action News and Severe Weather Team 2 continue to partner with Midland Radio Corporation and local Kroger stores in a public service campaign raising the awareness of the need for not only in-home weather radios, but portable, handheld units for those that love the outdoors.Click here for more information on that radio
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